Category: book tour

Valentine’s Slay by Denise N. Wheatley Genre: Steamy Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance Novella

In the land of Zanalia, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of war. When two of the realm’s fiercest foes go head-to-head over the sacred ritual, sparks unexpectedly fly, igniting an explosion of love, lust, and ultimately, broken traditions. In a world filled with warriors, Valentine’s Day means war for the creatures of Zanalia. Mina, queen of the disciplinarian tribe, is responsible for spearheading attacks on the land’s worst enemies. Spike, the son of king Theo and Mina’s biggest adversary, no longer believes in provoking battles on this love-filled holiday. He secretly encourages the Zanalians to put away their weapons and spend time with their loved ones instead. The absurd suggestion goes against the territory’s oldest tradition and is rejected by many, to the point where Spike receives death threats. His father grows worried for his son and orders Mina to stage his kidnapping, then provide him with personal, around-the-clock protection. Mina is infuriated by the mission as she’s being forced to protect a disloyal traitor. She vows to make Spike’s time with her as torturous as possible until she unwittingly finds pleasure in the pain she inflicts upon him, while he seemingly relishes in her harsh punishments. Emotions run high between the pair, and Mina realizes that Spike’s wish to spread love this Valentine’s Day just may come true after all. **On Sale for only $1.99!! ** Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Extasy Books

Denise N. Wheatley is a lover of happily-ever-afters and the art of storytelling. She is best known for her chick lit novel I WISH I NEVER MET YOU, which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2004. Since then she’s written (and ghostwritten) numerous novels and novellas that run the romance gamut, from contemporary to paranormal, sweet to steamy. Denise strives to pen entertaining stories that embody matters of the heart, while creating characters who are strong, colorful and relatable. She is an RWA member and received a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the city where she was born and raised. When Denise is not sitting behind a computer, you can find her in a movie theater, on a tennis court, watching true crime television or chatting on social media. Website/Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Mina slowly climbed the winding, glass staircase inside of Spike’s compound. She pressed
her back against the wall while watching every angle around her. In order to gain access to
his home, Mina had utilized her narcoleptic machine gun, which was capable of putting its
victims to sleep within less than a second. She’d shot several darts into the necks of four
armed guards manning the exterior. According to her surveillance, there were only two
guards inside of the complex. Mina planned to quickly knock them out, grab hold of Spike,
and get him inside of the transporter.
When she approached Spike’s master bedroom, Mina pressed her ear against the door and
listened as he and the creatures spoke in hushed tones. She slowly turned the knob and
cocked her gun. The minute she swung open the door, Mina shot a dart into the neck of a
watchman standing to her left, then the one to her right. Spike made a run toward the
bathroom, but just as he reached the threshold, she fired a dart into his throat. He fell to the
floor, and along with the other two guards, fell into a deep, snoring slumber.
Mina swooped in immediately, lifting Spike up off the floor, carried him out of the house and
threw him inside the transporter. There was a comfortable velvet couch that had been
placed in the back, but instead of lying him there, she dragged his body onto a hard, cold
iron bench.
“You’re going to pay for disrupting my retirement as Queen of the Disciplinarian Tribe and
betraying our beloved Zanalian tradition,” she said, her wicked tone filled with satisfaction.
Mina stripped Spike down to his scant undergarments. She handcuffed his wrists and
ankles, then wrapped a heavy metal chain around his waist and secured it with a huge
padlock. As he lay there knocked out cold, she looked down at his muscular body,
handsome face, and soft, vulnerable expression.
“Don’t you dare start that,” Mina told herself, shaking off the feeling of lust that briefly
overcame her.
She headed to the front of the transporter and typed the name of a secret back road into the
navigation system that would lead them far away from Spike’s compound and in the
direction of her quarters. Once a map popped up on the overhead screen, Mina signaled to
the horses that it was time to take off then sped away into the night.
“Help…help. Help!”
Mina’s ears perked up while she listened to Spike scream from the back of the transporter.
“What is going on?” he screeched. “Where the hell am I? Somebody, please, help me!”

“Ugh,” Mina moaned, ignoring his pleas. She grabbed hold of the steering bar and
maneuvered the vehicle through a dark, dank, hilly road. According to her digital dashboard,
they had been traveling for well over three hours. Mina had been in constant contact with
Theo, who warned her to remain on the outskirts of Zanalia as Spike’s protestors were
circling every inch of the land, waiting to attack him the moment he appeared.
“Whoever is holding me captive,” Spike called out, “you must release me at once! Do you
know who I am? Do you know who my father is? I am the prince of Zanalia, soon to be
king!”
“Please, shut up,” Mina muttered, unsympathetically. She pulled the steering bar back,
anxious to get through the swampy territory and onto smoother terrain. When the chargers
slowed down instead of speeding up, Mina realized they had yet to stop and take a break
and assumed they were exhausted.
She directed them toward the side of the road, then grabbed several buckets of food and
water and carried them outside. Once the chargers began feeding away, she hopped back
into the transporter and headed toward the back where Spike was being held.
“What the…” he yelled the moment he saw her. “What is going on here, Mina? Where are
we, and why am I in shackles? Release me, now! I insist!”
“Unfortunately for you, Spike, that is not going to happen. You see, because of your little
attempt to disrupt Zanalia’s Valentine’s Day tradition, your father ordered that I kidnap and
hold you captive until the holiday is over and our battle against Raynalium is complete. If
you’re angry, be mad at yourself, but you should actually be thanking me, because I’m the
reason you’re still alive.”
Spike glared at Mina. “If you do not remove these cuffs and chain at once, you will forever
regret it,” he spewed, rattling the restraints to the point they almost tore into his skin.
“If you keep threatening me, you’ll be the only one with regrets.”
Spike tried to sit up, but the chain around his waist forced him back down onto the freezing
bench. He jerked his head toward Mina and let out a resounding roar.
“My guards will know where to find me,” he told her. “The second they free me, I swear I’m
going to kill you!”
She walked over to Spike and leaned in so closely her face was mere inches away from his.
“You know what? I was going to play nice with you. Well…semi-nice. But now? Playtime is
over. You’re going to be sorry for the way you just spoke to me.”
Mina sauntered toward the front of the transporter, ignoring Spike’s cries as he called out
her name. She grabbed the metal suitcase she’d secretly packed before heading out on the
mission in the event she’d need its contents. Judging from Spike’s rebellious behavior, Mina
realized that she had done the right thing.

“What are you doing?” he asked when she opened the case and pulled out two steel
clamps. “What are those?”

2 winners: One $15 Amazon gift card and one copy of my steamy contemporary romance novella, MY UNCONDITIONAL VALENTINE Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!a Rafflecopter giveaway

18 Wheels of Science Fiction: A Long Haul into the Fantastic Genre: Science Fiction Anthology with Stories by Eric Miller, editor, John DeChancie, Del Howison, Bond Elam, Lisa Morton, Paul Carlson, Janet Joyce Holden, Michael Bailey, Carla Robinson, Jeff Seeman, Kate Jonez, Gary Phillips, Lucio Rodriguez, Terry Bisson, Eric Miller, Edward M. Erdelac, Michael Paul Gonzalez, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Sean Patrick Traver

“…Definitely fun.” –Analog Science Fiction and Fact Take a trip through the imaginations of 18 visionary writers as they explore the future of trucking in this new science fiction anthology! There’s something for every genre fiction fan in this follow-up to the hit “18 wheels of Horror – a Trailer Full of Trucking Terrors.” From the back cover: An alien fuel additive shows just how fast a big rig can go… A disembodied driver wages war on self-driving trucks… A haul through time takes an unexpected turn… Reality shatters for a trucker using an experimental delivery device… Stargazing gives an overweight driver a new lease on life… A young girl risks her life to hitch a ride out of an apocalyptic wasteland… The highways of the universe will never be the same! THE WRECKERS by JOHN DECHANCIE “The Wreckers” is a continuation of DeChancie’s highly popular “Skyways” trucking Science Fiction novel series, in which legendary driver Jake McGraw (now an AI) and his son Sammy find new adventures on the mysterious skyway between worlds. SPEED TRAP by JEFF SEEMAN In “Speed Trap,” a chicken hauler’s misfit co-driver buys an exotic alien fuel additive at a truck stop, and the two find out just how fast their Big Rig will go. THIN ICE by BOND ELAM In “Thin Ice,” A trucker running mineral ore on an ice planet gets caught in a rebellion, and learns a terrible secret about her past that affects not only hers and her beloved daughter’s lives, but threatens humanity itself. Q-BITS by LUCIO RODRIGUEZ A trucker’s reality fractures in “Q-Bits” due to an experimental quantum delivery device, and has to make a choice that could re-unite him with his son, or take him to a unknown future. I, TRUCK by GARY PHILLIPS “I, Truck” features an unemployed trucker who signs up for an experimental driving program, but a cyber-attack by hackers turns him into an revenge-fueled ghost in the machine. OVER FLAT MOUNTAIN by TERRY BISSON In the classic SF story “Over Flat Mountain,” which appeared in OMNI Magazine, a trucker helps out a young hitchhiker as they travel over the miles-high mountain that an apocalyptic seismic event has thrust through the heart of America. WHEELS OF WRATH by JANET JOYCE HOLDEN In “Wheels of Wrath,” a breakdown stops the massive train carrying hundreds of trucks through the blasted wasteland of middle America, and a group of drivers discover a secret that could change the world—if it doesn’t get them killed first. SHOTGUN SEAT by PAUL CARLSON In “Shotgun Seat,” a trucker and his new trainee learn to cope with the robot drivers that threaten to take over human jobs—and who also yearn for freedom. JOB NO. 34264 by LISA MORTON “Job #34264” features two truckers who travel back through time to find water for a droughtriddled future, but encounter a time paradox threatens to destroy everything they know. ESSENTIAL OILS by MICHAEL BAILEY In “Essential Oils,” a trucker hauling tankers full of essential oils deep into the Arctic tries to find out what the Canadian government is doing with the odd cargo. BIG RIG, BIG RIP by ALVARO ZINOS-AMARO The pilot of a long-haul space cargo carrier in “Big Rig, Big Rip” flies through a hidden wormhole and winds up thousands of light years from home. Scared and lost, he struggles to find a way back to his family. A FLICKER OF BRIGHT LIGHT by DEL HOWISON “A Flicker of Bright Light,” is about a young girl living in an apocalyptic wasteland, who risks her life to stow away on a truck that could carry her to freedom. HIT/RUN by EDWARD M. ERDELAC In “Hit/Run,” a trucker runs from two mysterious men who are chasing him years after he committed a hit and run accident. But things are far from what they seem… EVERYTHING LOOKS SO SMALL by CARLA ROBINSON An overweight trucker in “Everything Looks so Small” gets a new lease on life thanks to the fantastic things he sees while looking at the stars. SILENT PASSENGER by KATE JONEZ In “Silent Passenger,” a driver on her last run finds the experimental technology propelling her truck has somehow brought back a ghost from her past. INDICA ASTERION & THE WIZARD OF OZYMANIDAS by SEAN PATRICK TRAVER In “Indica Asterion & The Wizard of Ozymandias,” a trucker falls afoul of a government agent when he tries to smuggle contraband alien technology, and his fugitive sister in-law works to save him with a seemingly magical interdimensional artifact. HUMAN, TRAFFICKING by MICHAEL PAUL GONZALES “Human, Trafficking” is about a trucker who signs his life—and body-—away when he goes to work for a high-tech autonomous trucking company. DRIVE by ERIC MILLER “Drive” follows the Greatest Driver Alive as he takes a tanker full of volatile rocket fuel through gang-war torn Los Angeles, and nothing, not bullets, bombs, or bad luck, will stop him from delivering his incendiary cargo. Add to Goodreads Amazon * B&N * Kobo

**scroll through the slideshow to find out more about the authors!!**https://albumizr.com/a/eB3x

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The Double D Ranch A Fortuna, Texas Novel Book 1 by Rochelle Bradley Genre: Romantic Comedy

Longhorns and lingerie… Much to the chagrin of foreman Josiah, Jessie Davidson wants a romance reduction. But the Double D Ranch hides a secret. Since inheriting the property, Jessie kept her grandmother’s hoard concealed, but now she’s found the courage to purge the unwanted items: steamy novels, thousands of them. Romance has to go! Donating the books is a good thing, right? Not when coupled with a dare. The dare spirals out of control. The ante is upped when caches of the spicy books, left in barber shops, pool halls, and pubs, challenge others to join the fad. A perverted prankster runs amok playing on the town’s fantasies. Book clubs are formed. Plots acted out. In a town saturated with romance, Jessie finds her love life underdeveloped. Keep Jessie safe. It’s the promise Josiah Barnes made to Jessie’s dying grandmother. He aims to honor it, even if it means protecting Jessie from himself. Failing her in the past has him on high alert when the Double D becomes ground zero for the arousal avalanche sweeping the town. As a full-support, silent partner, Josiah will do anything to augment the Double D. But when Jessie starts selling handmade lingerie, keeping his hands to himself is easier said than done… Will she shelve happily ever after like a rejected novel, or open her heart and start a new chapter? Goodreads * Amazon

Plumb Twisted A Fortuna, Texas Novel Book 2

Karaoke and Kidnapping… Piper McCracken needs a fresh start. Her father’s death, a failed engagement, and her ex-fiancé-turned-stalker prompt her to make a bold leap . . . from the Windy City to Fortuna, Texas. Piper feels ready to take on small town life—that is, until she’s erroneously proclaimed a shy cowboy’s mail-order bride. Hired as a personal assistant to Jessie Barnes, Piper becomes much more: friend, beta tester, and . . . intimate apparel model? With a three-legged cat, fake news, drunken karaoke, romance novel obsessed men, a cocky old lady, and a perverted town prankster, Piper finds Fortuna plumb twisted. All Cole Dart really needs is his family and job working at the Big Deal ranch. After surviving cancer, his life is like a pair of broken-in boots. Comfortable. He doesn’t want the complication of a relationship now. Or ever. But when Piper’s stalker catches up to her, Cole’s protective instincts kick into high gear and he’s determined to step between her and danger, no matter the cost. When a tornado rips through town, Cole’s home is strewn across the county, can Piper help him pick up the pieces and find happily ever after or will the stalker tear them apart forever? Goodreads * Amazon

More Than a Fantasy A Fortuna, Texas Novel Book 3

Book 3 in the Fortuna, Texas series. One night changed everything… Finally content single, second grade teacher Kelly Greene doesn’t need a man screwing up her life, even a sexy cop like Ben. All she needs is her rechargeable double A batteries. Operation: Win Kelly. For Officer Ben Moore repairing a creepy Victorian house, a workplace dalliance, and camping au naturel are beyond his comfort zone. Ben schemes to bring Kelly’s fantasies alive, but in Fortuna, Texas, where men read romance and cosplay is second nature, it’s hard to keep their rendezvous hidden from gossipmongers and, more importantly, her match- making momma. When danger threatens Fortuna Elementary, Ben is assigned a case that keeps thrusting them together, Kelly has a helluva time ignoring her heart—let alone her girly bits. Ben holds the key to the handcuffs but Kelly must decide if he also holds the key to her heart. Goodreads * Amazon

Municipal Liaisons A Fortuna, Texas Novel Book 4

Book 4 in the romantic comedy Fortuna, Texas series. She aspired to renew the town; he desired to revive her love life… Who’d have thought Michaela Arschfick would like Texas? Particularly some Podunk town with the mighty Fire Ant as its mascot. But from first glance, Fortuna captivates Michaela. With most of the residents, primarily men, keeping their noses glued to the pages of romance novels, they don’t notice Fortuna needs a makeover. Michaela takes on the challenge of opening the eyes of City Hall to Fortuna’s potential. The longer she stays in the cozy town the more it feels like home, especially with the sexy, young mayor giving her VIP treatment. After his wife died in a flash flood, the mayor of Fortuna, Texas, Jasen Delay, delved into work. Two years later, he’s still wearing the placating smile, but when a vanload of unban consultants visit the town… a beauty catches his eye. Determined to keep their relationship professional, Jasen and Michaela must stymie their blossoming feelings and focus on revitalizing Fortuna’s downtown. A nosy newspaper reporter, a perverted prankster, and sightings of Jasen’s wife’s ghost have Michaela second guessing her choice to stay. Jasen will do anything to keep Michaela in town. Fortuna needs her but, more importantly, Jasen needs her. With Jasen’s help, can Michaela wade through small town bureaucracy, solve the mystery of the canyon ghost, and learn to trust to her heart? Goodreads * AmazonBook Trailerhttps://youtu.be/Tbvv0H9bGUA

Rochelle puts an artistic spin on everything she does but there are two things she fails at miserably: 1. Cooking (seriously, she can burn water) 2. Sewing (buttons immediately fall back off) She loves baking and makes a mean BTS (Better than Sex) cake. When in observation mode she is quiet, however, her mouth is usually open with an encouraging glass-is-half- full pun or, quite possibly, her foot. She is a Bearcat, a Buckeye, an interior decorator, and fluent in sarcasm. In 2008, when her youngest entered Kindergarten, she decided to get the stories out of her head. Midway through her first novel, hurricane Ike (yes, a hurricane in Ohio) rendered the laptop useless with a nine-day power outage. She didn’t give up, but continued to pursue her dream. Every November Rochelle takes on the challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org) where she endeavors to write 50,000 words in thirty days. You can often hear her cheering the Dayton area Wrimos (those who join her in this crazy pursuit). Rochelle shares her home with a big black cat, an itty-bitty orange tiger kitty, her daughter, her son, and her Prince. She loves to connect with readers. You can find her on Facebook (search for Author Rochelle Bradley), Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Visit Rochelle’s website to sign up for her newsletter to keep up to date about future novels and book signings (RochelleBradley.com). Website * Facebook * Facebook Group * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

“You ready?” Jessie hesitated, embarrassed about the collection Grandma left. She led B.J.
up the hardwood stairs to the second floor. The scent of his musky cologne preceded him.
B.J. smirked. “Born that way.”
“I doubt it.” Her hand gripped the metal doorknob. When she’d inherited the Double D Ranch
from her grandparents, the cache in the upstairs bedroom came as a complete shock. She took
a deep breath and closed her eyes, steeling herself for his reaction. The area behind the door
once housed Grandma’s sewing room but now…
The mess was as awe-inspiring as it was overwhelming, which had been why she enlisted the
help of the reluctantly altruistic B.J.
“Well?” he grunted, crossing his arms as he waited. A hard worker, the thirty-two-year-old
man had caught her eye a year ago with a smile that lit his face. The smile disappeared,
however, when his wife left him for another man. Now the handsome man scowled as a hobby.
Her hesitant fingers tightened around the smooth knob, slowly her wrist shifted, and the latch
popped. The door opened a crack. “You ready?” she repeated, taking another deep breath.
He shifted his feet with impatience. “Already said I was.”
Words could do little to describe the mess or the enormity of it. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d
ever encountered but Jessie found it embarrassing, nonetheless.
She could’ve had a cleaning party with her best friends, Kelly and Mona, but they’d heckle her
to hell and back with what they’d find, plus the whole town would find out in no time. She didn’t
want her grandma’s neurotic obsession, the Davidson version of the skeleton in the closet, to
become known.
Then there was Josiah. He’d keep the secret. But being confined with the cowboy made it
hard for Jessie to breathe. Her father trusted B.J. and laboring beside a stranger would be
easier than dealing with the funny feelings bumping elbows with Josiah caused.
No, B.J. was her only option.
She swallowed then pushed the door open. The hinges creaked, filling the silence.
B.J. blinked twice. “What the hell?”
Books–thousands and thousands of paperback books, all romance novels–were stacked in
neat rows from floor to ceiling. The bedroom was full save for a three by three space on the
floor. It was a dark closet with book wallpaper. To say her grandmother had loved to read was
an understatement.
B.J. pushed on the stacks a few times but nothing moved, it was solid. He whistled low.
The confounded man stood with hands on hips staring at the twelve-foot ceiling line. “How am
I going to reach the top?”
“I planned ahead, knowing you weren’t ten feet high.” Jessie retrieved a four-foot step stool
from behind the door. She unfolded it and he climbed up. In the hallway, a stack of plastic
storage totes waited to be filled. She retrieved one and placed it next to the base of the ladder.
Many of the books had worn spines and dog-eared pages. Memories of Grandma flitted to
mind. When Jessie was in elementary school she’d climbed into her grandma’s warm lap and
asked, “Why do you read them?”
Grandma’s eyes had crinkled as she smiled. “Love, child. They are filled with love. Everyone
wants to live happily ever after. Someday, Jessie, you’ll find it too.” She’d tweaked Jessie’s nose
then tickled her.
“Hey, Jessie,” B.J. spoke, startling her. He glanced down from the ladder. “You’re gonna need
more tubs. What the hell kind of books are these, anyway?” He stared at the cover of a scantily
clad woman leaning against a bare chested man in leather pants. “Werewolves in Heat?”
“Grandma had a thing for romance novels.” Jessie shrugged, feeling her face heat.
“Honey, it was more than a thing. She hoarded the damn books.”
B.J. was right. One stack near the wall held one hundred and forty books. Some stacks had
thinner books, equaling more
Jessie was grateful for the longhorn cattle ranch her grandparents left her, even if it hid her
grandmother’s secret. Her grandparents each died within a year and her breath hitched thinking
about them. Josiah had worked for her grandpa Don but stayed on as foreman when she
inherited.
As if on cue, Josiah’s sun-kissed face peeked around the corner. The dusty tip of his boot and
a stray piece of hay sent her mind reeling to the night he’d found her crying in the hayloft. The
memory of his lips on her neck sent a shiver down her spine.

He pointed to B.J. who reached for more books, and mouthed, “You okay?”
Her heart tripped when she gazed into his curious eyes framed with a brow etched with
concern. She gave a thumbs up then waved him off, slightly annoyed yet comforted he was
checking on her.

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Forsaken by Luna Black Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Mason and Lilly came from two different worlds, and their union resulted in their deaths… but not before they brought their baby girl into the world. Now, their daughter, Jocelynn, must learn to survive in a world that sees her as an abomination. Will she ever find her place in the world, or is she destined to remain an outcast? Add to Goodreads * Buy Link

“I started writing when I was in elementary school. I struggled for the most part due to my dyslexia, and people often told me that I would never be a good writer. They told me to give up, but I refused. I gave it everything I had. At one point, I won a young author’s award, and I continued writing as I got older. I recently had three short stories published and a fourth accepted for an anthology scheduled for release on March 1st. My biggest goal with my writing is that others might resonate with my characters and that my stories might empower them in some way and give them the courage to keep going, even when life gets them down. While not all stories have happy endings or see the characters take a positive path, they do typically follow the theme of acceptance — acceptance of who you are as a person and who you want to be — and the moment where one decides to stand up for themselves.” Facebook * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads

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Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation by Francis H. Powell Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Scifi Short Stories

What if the human race was considered irrelevant and then each being was just uploaded then locked away on hard drives called “brain pods” ? What if a sub species was to come into fruition, then the human race turned on it, hunted it down before trying to annihilate it? Imagine you found out you were an ancient soul, who is reunited with another being from your former life? Set in different times in a variety of settings and time periods, the past, the present and the future, the book explores the inevitable unknown that lies before us all “death”. Death can arrive in a multitude of forms. Each part of the book explores different themes. There are characters who following their demises have to face up to their lurid pasts. There are some who face annihilation and others who are in a crazy pursuit of world destruction. We are living in an age in which it appears that the doomsday clock is ticking ever faster, as we teeter over the edge of world destruction. The book aims to contain some ironic twists. Even as young children we build up nightmare visions of what death involves. The reader is often left to distinguish between what is real and what is not, as stories reside within stories and the storytellers can never be fully trusted. Not all the book is doom and gloom, there are Elsa Grun’s bizarre encounters with men and Shellys’ hapless husband Arnie. From secluded beach houses, to obscure motels, to visions of heaven, which takes the form of the Hotel Paradiso, to the world of the future death is always a wild adventure. Add to GoodreadsAmazon * B&N

Born in 1961, in Reading, England Francis H Powell attended Art Schools, receiving a degree in painting and an MA in printmaking. In 1995, Powell moved to Austria, teaching English as a foreign language while pursuing his varied artistic interests adding music and writing. He currently lives in Brittany, France writing both prose and poetry. Powell has published short stories in the magazine, “Rat Mort” and other works on the internet site “Multi-dimensions.” His two published books are Flight of Destiny and Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

THE MASTER’S HOUSE
Part one

The strange goings on in the life of Amos Toft.
We had found her face down on the sand, as the tide closed in. The moon shed silvery light
and there was a soft gentle off shore breeze that glanced our faces. We’d run out of our house, having
seen torch light. They had left as quickly as they had arrived. There were sounds of horses, leaving at
speed, shadowy figures, hooded, dressed like soldiers, soon fading into the horizon. We presumed she
was dead and were relieved when she spluttered and coughed and fought for breath.
“Let’s get her inside” my wife said urgently. She was totally naked and had no possessions.
“Are you all right?” I demanded. She did not respond. I repeated myself again, there was just the
sound of her heavy labored breathing.
“She appears in terrible shock” my wife said, as we helped her up. We draped one of her arms over
my wife’s shoulders while I propped the other. We struggled along the sand and then headed towards
our small house, which looked over the large bay.
“What’s your name?” I asked, expecting by now she was in some kind of condition to speak. Again no
response, her eyes were fixed on the ground, she made no attempt to speak.
We got her back to the house and sat her down on a couch.
What had happened? Why had she been left naked on the sand, as the tide came in?
What was going through her mind? My wife got a towel and offered it to her to clean her and cover
her naked body.
“She will have to stay the night, it is late, at least she will be safe here,” my wife said before searching
for some clothes. I hardly dared not look at her. She was evidently young, very beautiful, with long
flaxen hair that cascaded down her back.
“Water” I asked, “do you want some water?” Again there was no response, she did not
even look at the glass of water, her eyes never veering away from the ground, as if she was locked in a
trance. My wife returned holding a white night dress. It was far from a perfect fit, the woman was far
taller and a different shape from my wife.

“Put it on” said my wife, holding out the night dress. The woman took it slowly and slipped it on. I
explained to my wife that I had tried to offer water; my wife suggested perhaps she was hungry. My
wife said softly “Food, do you want food?” There was again no reply to this latest offer.
“Perhaps she has had an accident” said my wife with a sigh, “perhaps she just wants to sleep, she has
been traveling possibly on a tiring journey.”
“What naked!” I said dubiously.
“Yes that is a bit unusual” agreed my wife, adding, “and those men on horses holding torches, who
were they?”
“I have no idea,” I replied, “but to leave a naked woman on an empty beach, is not normal!”
My wife turned to the young woman, with a face of desperation in search of some kind of response.
“Can you explain, who you are, what you are doing here, who those men were?”
I added, some words of comfort “you are safe here with us, we won’t hurt you.”
The young girl was doubled up on the couch, her arms tightly holding her legs, posing as if she was
protecting herself.
Her head did not even turn in either the direction of my wife or me. Was she deaf or mute? Or perhaps
she came from foreign lands.
My wife realizing our efforts to aid the girl were fruitless said,
“I suggest we leave her and let her sleep, perhaps in the morning she will be ready to speak.”
My wife got some blankets and we left the young woman still in the same position, presuming at some
point she would settle down and get some sleep. I bolted the front door and blew out the candles,
leaving the room shrouded in darkness.
Both my wife and I called out a cordial “goodnight” as we went upstairs to settle down for the night.
We felt assured that the young woman would not take flight in the middle of the night.
After all we lived in such a remote place. This was our choice. We did not want too much contact with
other people. We were self-contained, in our rather insular world. We had a field at the back of the
house, where we kept a few farm animals, goats, pigs, and chickens, we grew a lot of vegetables, other
than this the sea provided for most of our needs. We rarely strayed from our home, sometimes we

would take our cart and buy things at the market of the nearest town. We had lived in this remote
house for about ten years.
It had belonged to my parents. They were relatively rich and used this house as a kind of
summer retreat. I recall spending a number of idyllic summers there, until tragedy struck when my
father never came back from a fishing trip, having been swept away into a raging sea. My mother
never recovered from this and her love for this house, turned to bitterness.

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